Following the great discoveries by Christopher Columbus and others, Spain, Portugal and other powers obtained colonial rights in America. The Pope gave them the task of spreading the faith in the new lands. Sadly, many conquistadores (colonists) were more interested in acquiring wealth than in this noble task.
The native population was treated inhumanely, to the extent that in 1537 Pope Paul III had to remind the colonists that Native Americans were human beings! Only in a later phase was the Church able to send its own missionaries. These missionaries not only proclaimed the faith, but lived it themselves, built hospitals and schools, and helped people in many different ways.
